Aliens of Middleford Beware!
by magicmumu
Summary: The dumbest thing an alien could ever do is to kidnap Ash, especially when Scribbs meets two interesting new friends...


Aliens of Middleford Beware

by Erin Griffin

Fandom: Murder In Suburbia/Dr. Who crossover

Pairing: Ash/Scribbs, unrequited Martha/Doctor

Rating: I would say about PG-13 for swearing and some violence

Summary: The dumbest thing an alien could ever do is to kidnap Ash, especially when Scribbs meets two interesting new friends...

Disclaimer: ITV owns Murder in Suburbia and BBC owns Dr. Who.

Spoilers: General knowledge of all of MiS and series three of Dr. Who, but I think I was safe in not mentioning any episode(s) directly.

Note: Unbeta'd. All Americanisms, bad grammar, or other signs of OOC-ness (though I do hope I got the Doctor right) and laziness are strictly the fault of the writer. I haven't written much in the way of adventure in a while, so that is where this is coming from, so, in a world where crack is illegal, sometimes, you just have to write your own...

Scribbs heard what sounded like a language of grunts as she ran, but it didn't take her much to figure what it was saying. "Get them! Get them!"

They shouldn't have existed. Black, tall, and spiky Human/Hedgehog-looking things were everywhere. Scribbs didn't know what they were, but she wasn't about to stand around long enough to know their designation. They'd stormed through the main shopping district (if one could really call it that) of Middleford, pointing their lasers at innocent people and doing what Scribbs could only describe as some sort of scan. Ones that seemed okay went with them, the rest were marked on their cheek and literally thrown a few yards away from the massive troupes walking in step down the street. So far, no one was killed- there only seemed to be the minor injuries sustained from being thrown on their arse, but they seemed to have no intention of letting any of the hostages go. Not to mention the fact that no one seemed to know where the hostages were being taken. When Scribbs and Ash had tried to figure out what was going on and help out with controlling the large army, both of them had been scanned, but before they could have been taken or marked, they ran. Only then was anything fired, and Scribbs, who was in the lead, heard her partner's cry of pain. "Scribbs, call Sullivan. Tell 'im we need massive back up. Go, hide."

"But-"

"I'm as good as caught, but you need to keep going."

"But-" Scribbs tried again.

"Go!" Ash tried to find a place to hide even as she spoke to her partner, but they were pretty open in the main field of Britannia Park, and by the time she could find a place to hide, even with Scribbs as an aid, the life forms would have come to them and gotten her. Both women knew this, just as they knew that Scribbs was a faster runner between them and had better shoes for it at the moment.

"Ash!" Scribbs called, but she gasped when she saw them coming closer.

"GO!"

"I'll come get you, I promise!" Scribbs called, and reluctantly she turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her, ducking as a light brown beam went over her shoulder and seared the grass just in front of her, creating a large hole. She gave a yelp of surprise and zigzagged to the left and out of sight.

One of the aliens said something to another in its almost mechanical grunting language. Scribbs didn't hear what the responder was saying, but the tone seemed to be in confirmation. Looking back, she locked eyes with her partner, who tried to look as if she wasn't afraid by what was happening. She saw that they hadn't marked her cheek, and Ash was grabbed roughly by the arm. If she wasn't being chased, Scribbs would have doubled back or stayed long enough to gain a clue as to where Ash might have been taken.

Scribbs made it out of the park and headed further towards the CID. She wasn't sure if she would even make it back in time, but she couldn't go back to the car, where the majority of the aliens were still scanning people. Her best chance was to get to a safe place to hide first. She fumbled to get her mobile out of her pocket and dialed Sullivan's line. She looked around and listened for any pursuit from the aliens. There were footsteps, and she knew they were still coming for her. She ducked into one of the shops, which was empty, no doubt due to everyone running outside almost a half hour earlier to see what the loud noises outside were. She ducked down away from the windows and pressed the button that would connect her with her boss.

"Detective Chief Inspector Greg Sullivan," he greeted in a rush. He sounded frightened, and that really didn't help Scribbs to stay calm enough to try and help Ash.

"Boss!"

"Scribbs! You alright?"

"They've got Ash. No one's dead yet, but they look extremely annoyed, and I have to get Ash," Scribbs said loudly.

"Oh no, are you alright?" Sullivan asked again.

"I'm really scared," Scribbs admitted.

"We're doing all we can to get help, but as you can imagine it is quite the mad house over here, too. Some of the... things made it to the CID and have been putting marks on people's cheeks and such. I know they are looking for something, but none of them would speak and tell us-" There was a clatter and then Scribbs could hear Sullivan trying to speak calmly.

There was the grunting again, as if the aliens were annoyed or very angry now. There were more clatters and a slight grunt as it was obvious that orders were being followed through. There was a crash, and that was when Scribbs hung up. She didn't want to know if they found whatever it was they were looking for in Sullivan or not.

She twisted her body so that she could peek outside, and just then she caught sight of her pursuers. She gasped and ducked again, but they went right on by. She counted to a hundred twice before she slowly moved towards the door again. It seemed pretty silent. Scribbs hurried out and continued to run, but she didn't know where to go now, since it seemed the CID was invaded. "Where are they taking them?" Scribbs asked herself as she went at a trot back the way she came, careful to duck into any corner she could find so that no one could see her. She ran by a blue police box in the street she didn't recognize before, and she would have passed right by it if a man and a younger dark woman hadn't stumbled out of it.

"WHOA! What a ride, wouldn't you say Martha?"

"I'll say. Why would the TARDIS be bringing us 'ere? Where- or should I ask, WHEN is here?"

The man shrugged. "Dunno! That's the beauty of it. Let's go find out, shall we?" His words could have answered each of the dark woman's questions in one go. The man stood tall, looked around, and then offered his arm playfully to his companion.

Scribbs stopped running, looking back and forth along the street, which was empty. "It's not safe 'ere," Scribbs panted, doubling over to catch her breath. She looked up; her eyes slightly squinted to consider the pair.

"Why, what's going on?" the dark woman, addressed as Martha, asked.

"There are these... things scanning people. You should really take your... prop and hide."

"Pr- A prop?" the man asked incredulously. "Oh, now you've just gone and hurt her feelings," he said, taking a step back to pat the blue box. "She didn't mean it, I swear." Scribbs stared at him, and then her eyes went to the dark woman, who had a smirk on her face even as she was rolling her eyes at her companion's actions. Seeing this, the man grumbled, "YOU try flying 'er when she's moody."

"Whatever it is-" She stopped mid-sentence and gasped. "Come with me," Scribbs said after she heard footsteps in the distance.

"Wait, where?" Martha asked.

"Somewhere safe," Scribbs answered, looking at the woman almost as if she was stupid.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Start over, 'kay? I'm- I'm on your side," the man said as he flashed what seemed like a legitimate piece of documentation. "I'm a- I'm a..." He flipped the paper towards him and his eyebrows rose. "I'm a copper, apparently."

"Apparently?" the dark woman asked as both she and Scribbs gave him a look that said they were neither amused nor convinced by this.

"Look, I would believe that if she hadn't just asked where you were," Scribbs said, gesturing in Martha's direction as she spoke.

"Oh, heard that, did you?" the man said thoughtfully, more to himself than to Scribbs as he considered her, and then glanced at his companion. His eyes widened as his eyebrows went upwards towards the immobile strands of hair on his forehead. He put the identification away and then put his hands up in a 'one moment' signal to Scribbs and said, "Okay- I lied, yeah? But trust me when I say that I might be able to help."

"Uh Doctor? Hide first, explain later!" Martha called when the aliens were seen rounding the corner.

"Oh! Derrits!" the man said, as if he'd missed the answer on a quiz show, though he really already should have known it the whole time. The Derrits or whatever took a couple of shots right at Scribbs, who ducked down. The man took her arm and the dark woman ran behind the two of them. They went down so many streets that Scribbs soon lost track of where they were and where they headed. They didn't hear the footsteps anymore, but the aliens sure were persistent. Finally, they went down another random street and Scribbs knew that they were ducking back near where everything all began for her and Ash. She could almost point to where she'd parked the car.

"Here!" Scribbs said, pulling Martha behind her and ducking into what looked to be a flower shop. Again, no one was there, but the counter was large, and she hurried for it. Scribbs was completely out of breath now, and her face was red and wet with perspiration.

"Doctor, what were those things?"

"He said Derrits, but what are they?" Scribbs asked in a wheeze, her eyes just above the counter and locked on the windows outside of the shop.

"Derrits are these MEAN li'le buggers-"

"I'd hardly call them little, Doctor," Martha cut in.

"Well- No. But by all accounts they are practically harmless, unless you resist their scans."

"But what are they scanning for?" Scribbs asked. "They have my friend."

"Scans?" Martha asked at the same time Scribbs had spoken, "Like those hippo creatures?"

"Not quite," the Doctor said. "More like... Well, more like spiky bats... without wings. They just want a place that is dark to hide, and Earth seems to be just the spot to look."

"That doesn't make any sense, what with the earth being right there off the sun and all," Scribbs said.

"Yeah, wouldn't they prefer a planet that is pretty well out there, like Pluto or something?" Martha added in.

"I thought Pluto wasn't a planet," Scribbs said.

"Well, not yet," the man said, and winced as the dark girl elbowed him in the ribs. "That hurt!" he whined.

"Tough," was all Martha said in response.

"What is that s'posed to mean, 'not yet'?" Scribbs asked, looking back and forth between Martha and the man as they bickered between them for a moment more.

"Doesn't matter!" The man said cheerfully. He suddenly extended his hand. "Don't think we've properly met yet. I'm the Doctor and this is Martha Jones, soon to be a doctor herself," he added proudly.

Scribbs was reluctant to shake this man's hand, but they had just escaped some of her pursuers together. "Detective Sergeant Emma Scribbins. Most just call me Scribbs," the blonde offered before she realized just how the man had referred to himself. "Dr. Who? Doctor of what?" Scribbs asked.

"Anything, everything. Nothing at all," he replied with a shrug.

Martha sighed heavily at this. "He just goes by Doctor. No one knows his real name, and I don't see that changing in the near future," she said.

"Right you are," the Doctor said brightly. "Well, it is certainly nice to meet you, Detective Sergeant Scribbs."

"Right then... So..." Scribbs tried to figure out what to do next, wondering if these people were nuttier than anything, and if she should really trust them. "These... Derrits are hedgehog looking bat creatures that are looking for a dark place, but the Earth is too bright for it. And they can't go to Pluto because...?"

"Too cold. They need dark and warm places to live. They know that Earth isn't suitable, which explains the scans."

"Not for anyone here who isn't you," Martha replied, looking with Scribbs over the counter and then ducking down again when she saw a shadow moving outside. Unsure what it was and not wanting it to be one of the Derrits, she leaned further into the counter, sliding so that she was right next to Scribbs. Their shoulders were touching each other before Martha shifted so that there was more room between them.

"Derrits scan life forms of knowledge, to see whether those life forms might have a way for them to not have to move around so much. Mostly harmless and quite lazy if it weren't for that fact that other species pick on them and walk all over their land. Once its time to pack up and move, they scan the area, find a place to settle in until the next intergalactic bully comes for them and its time to go again. They must have found a place somewhere near this solar system, and want to know if there is more information about it that you Humans can provide it. They don't know that your knowledge of the space around you is still pretty limited."

"Us Humans," Martha repeated almost in disgust.

"No offence," the Doctor said quickly, as if this was a common thing between the two of them.

"So why come to Middleford? Why not somewhere more populated where they could get more information from more people?" Scribbs wondered.

"Like I said, they are pretty lazy. Once they land, they are content to stay there," the Doctor said.

"They weren't running after me like they were lazy. You said so yourself, they are lazy unless it comes to their scans. If they are so determined to- to 'know thy neighbor', then why not pick up again and go where they might find what they are looking for?"

"See- You would drive me nuts. Good thing I don't have to travel with you," the Doctor said. "You ask far too many questions, and to answer them: I don't know!" He shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't we go and ask?" The Doctor said this in the exact same way he had said it to Martha only a moment ago.

"Well, good luck with that," Scribbs said.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" The Doctor asked.

"Why would I want to do that when they are after me already? They see me, and I'm dead on sight." Even as she said this, she wasn't sure if she really meant it, but she had to find another way to get to Ash.

As if to read her mind, Martha asked, "What about your friend?" while putting a hand on Scribbs' shoulder.

"Yeah, you said they've got your friend," the Doctor added in.

Scribbs sighed and a chill ran down her spine at the thought of what they were going to do with Ash now that they've scanned her. She wasn't sure what they found out about her, why they wanted her with them. She didn't want to know what would happen if she had been taken somewhere else along with Ash, unable to even try and do something about the situation... But at least then Ash wouldn't have been going through this alone. Scribbs hastily wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek, and with a quivered sigh she said, "Alright, I'm coming with you, but if you really know what you're doing, then I don't know exactly how I might be able to help you out."

"Fan-tastic!" the Doctor said, though Scribbs didn't know why her involvement made him so happy. "Now... how are we going to get out of here undetected?" he asked himself.

"This feels much like capture the flag," Scribbs muttered to herself. There was a chuckle from Martha. She peeked over the top of the counter, but it was pretty deserted again. "I think we've got the all clear." Scribbs slowly took out her retractable baton, the Doctor took out what looked like a pen sized torch, and Martha grasped the closest thing she could find that could be used as a weapon, a small shovel. Both Scribbs and the Doctor looked at her, and she shrugged.

" S'all that's here," she felt the need to explain.

"Alright, let's go," the Doctor said in a somewhat hushed voice. The look on his face told Scribbs that he was clearly enjoying this.

"But to where?" Martha asked, her voice the same as his.

"Well, if they're like... bats, wouldn't they take everyone somewhere that is dark and warm- if not their... ship?" Scribbs felt odd just saying the word, but she had long since realized that this wasn't an ordinary day, and if she had to accept that this was an alien invasion in order to help her try and get Ash back, then that was the least of the things she had to worry about.

"Right you are, Detective Sergeant Scribbs." Before Scribbs could cut in that just Scribbs would do, the Doctor said, "So, where would we find somewhere that is dark and warm?"

"That could house as many of those things as there are? None, at least not here in Middleford."

"Which means they plan to take them to the ship for further observation."

"You mean to extract what knowledge they most likely do not have about these Derrits' new home," Scribbs guessed.

The Doctor paused as if to consider this. "Yeah."

"Well, off we go then." Scribbs sighed. She let the Doctor take the lead as they all left the flower shop. She felt her nerves getting slightly worse. It was like that dream she had a few weeks ago where she was sneaking around Hogwarts with her baton in hand (which turned out to be her wand as well at times), trying to get out of the school safely even though there were monsters and Death Eaters everywhere. Scribbs remembered waking up trembling, and she couldn't understand why, since the dream itself wasn't scary. She felt the same trembling now, and she tried to keep it under control.

"Where to?" Martha asked from behind Scribbs. The DS looked back at her and shrugged.

"A lot of them had come from that direction," she said, pointing towards where her car was parked. "You think their ship would be around there?"

"Well, there's-" the Doctor started to say.

"Only one way to find out, yes we know," Martha cut in, walking now at Scribbs' side. The two women shared a look, and then they began walking briskly in the direction Scribbs had pointed to.

"Their ship would most likely be cloaked- er- invisible," the Doctor said, looking back over his shoulder at the two women who trailed behind him. He clicked something on the side of his pen-torch and pointed it outwards and around. As they made it to the end of the block again, they heard more people moving about, trying to help those who had been tossed. Those that hadn't gotten hurt in the fall helped others, while some limped about and did what they could to hobble along to somewhere safe. Everyone was scared and confused.

"Look!" Martha said suddenly, pointing to her left. There was the tail end of the alien line up. She squinted and said, "I think you're right about the cloaked ship. From where I'm standing, it looks like they are just disappearing."

"Let's make sure they don't take off with everyone on board, shall we?" The Doctor moved a little faster, but Scribbs grabbed the back of his long coat and pulled him back.

"Oi!" he protested, but Martha shushed him and pointed at what Scribbs had seen. The three Derrits that had been after Scribbs ran towards the back of the line, falling in step with the rest.

"There is something over their eyes," Scribbs observed, "possibly to help against the brightness of the sun."

"I did wonder," the Doctor said. "What made you come to that conclusion?" he asked.

"They look like swim wear," Scribbs said with a small shrug, "or sunglasses."

"Right," the Doctor said in a way that made the blonde think that he already knew all of this and was testing her. The trio made their way towards the line up, and watched as they disappeared. There was no sound other than a creak and a clatter. The Doctor pointed the pen-torch in the area the Derrits disappeared to, and faintly, outlines of the ship came into view. As they got closer, Scribbs squinted again, trying to see if there was a way to get inside.

"There, that must have been the door," Martha said, pointing to the indents in the ship.

"Yes, but we go in that way, we're pretty well dead," Scribbs added in.

"You're a real ray of sunshine," the Doctor said.

"So I've been told," Scribbs replied. "Since they intend to leave, we need to figure out why. This isn't just them meeting their neighbors and taking them to their house for tea. They must need something else."

The Doctor looked over at Scribbs and then exchanged a look with Martha. Their experiences of alien life forms 'needing something else' never turned out too well. "At least we'll be relieved knowing that they're harmless, right Doctor?" Martha asked. The man questioned nodded absently and the three of them continued on towards where the Derrits disappeared to.

"We can't go in the front way, not since Detective Sergeant Scribbs made a bit of an enemy out of them," the Doctor said, which made Scribbs roll her eyes because she'd just said that. "Luckily, on a Derrit ship you'll usually find..." The Doctor moved around where he guessed the ship was, feeling around it and pointing his pen-torch at it. Martha and Scribbs cautiously followed him. When he got towards the back of the Derrit ship, he said, "Ah ha! There, a cargo hold! Might even be where they've stored your friend."

"Looks like we're hitching a ride, then," Scribbs replied, and the Doctor nodded. He clicked something again on the side of his pen torch and pointed it along a crack in the side of the ship, which was the door to the cargo hold. There was a creaking before a loud thump. Scribbs felt herself being pulled out of the way as a large indent suddenly appeared in the grass. "The cloaking is in the ship parts as well as just around the ship itself? Or is it the whole area around the ship...?" 

"No, it is the ship parts. We would be invisible with the ability to see the ship if we were now inside that cloaking field," Martha told her as she let go of the detective now that she knew there was nothing else about to fall on them.

"How very clever you are, Martha Jones," the Doctor said. He felt around and sighed. He didn't seem to find what he was looking for, and suddenly bent down hooking his fingers together in a step hold. "Alright, in you get," he said.

Though it was unclear who he was talking to, Scribbs was the closest to him, so she stepped forward. She felt along the edge of black she saw when she looked up at the ship itself where she figured the latch had been. She wasn't sure she wanted to go into that darkness, but she called up in a harsh whisper. "Ash?" There was no reply.

"Hurry it up, will you. No offense, but you're not a fluff of cotton, now are you?" the Doctor said, looking up at her as he strained to keep the step hold firm under Scribbs' foot.

"Fine fine," Scribbs grumbled, not happy about the implication of being called heavy. She felt the warmth of the darkness and hoisted herself the rest of the way up. Once she was standing again, she ignored the heat at her back and leaned down for Martha's hand as the Doctor lifted her as well. It was a lot easier for her since she had support both above her and beneath her. There was a sudden rumble and Scribbs almost dropped Martha's hand, but just managed to pull her inside.

The Doctor put his pen torch in his mouth, and bent down to pick up the piece of the spaceship he had taken off. He jumped a few times with Scribbs kneeling to grab at the space part, which was difficult since she couldn't see it. She watched his hands and finally grabbed at something solid that hit her knuckle. She dragged the heavy bit of material into the space, handing it the best she could to Martha. The whole ship jerked upwards. She held on the best she could, and then she kneeled again to try and grab for the Doctor as he made attempts to grab her hand. "Doctor!" Scribbs yelled when the last jump was nowhere near good enough.

"Take care of Martha for me. I'll be right behind you in the TARDIS!" the Doctor called. He made a large underhanded toss and Scribbs was just barely able to catch the pen torch. "Put the latch back on! Hurry!" he yelled.

Scribbs felt Martha next to her, holding on to the side of the opening, and with her other hand the piece of the ship. Using their fingertips to feel along the sides of it, they were able to put it back in place even though it wasn't sealed. She nudged Martha with her shoulder. "How do you use this thing?"

"I don't know, but give it here; I think I have an idea of it. I've seen him use it enough." Now that it was pitch dark around them, they had to keep their hands out to feel for everything, including each other. Scribbs found Martha's hand and placed the pen torch in it. A moment later, the faintest of blue lights shone between them as Martha closed the latch.

"What is that thing?" Scribbs asked.

"The Doctor calls it his sonic screwdriver. Way advanced technology," Martha said as she pocketed the device. There was the rustle of clothing, and then, "Um... Scribbs?"

"I'm here, what's the matter?" Scribbs answered, slightly concerned. She didn't want to hear that Martha felt something that she didn't like. It wasn't the dark that scared Scribbs; it was the not knowing what might be in the dark this time. She jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder, as if feeling to see she was there, before Martha's hand rested there. "Ah!"

"Shh," Martha hushed her. "Sorry, I can't see a thing, and I lost track of you for a second."

"Keep your hand on my shoulder. We're going to have to lead each other around until we can find the door out of here," Scribbs said. Though she didn't see her, she felt a small movement next to here, and she took that as Martha's nod.

"I've never been anywhere this dark before," Martha said in a hushed voice.

"What do we do now? Wait for the Doctor to find us with the... What was it?"

"The Tardis. That's his ship." When there was a silence, Martha kept on, "The blue box you met us by, remember?"

"That's his ship?" Scribbs asked as she felt along the smooth, hot surface of the walls.

"It's bigger inside than it looks. Don't ask me to explain it, though. Again with the way advanced technology."

"So," Scribbs said slowly, "now that we're not running for our lives right now or being scanned, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Martha said next to her. Scribbs could feel her shifting so that she was facing her more, even though neither of them could see the other's face. Even after the time it would have taken to get used to the darkness, they still couldn't see a thing.

Scribbs felt more a long the wall, hoping to maybe find a crease indicating a door to get further into the ship (as it was apparent there was nothing in the cargo hold but them at the moment). The only sounds now were the outside hum from the engines, and, very faintly, there were footsteps. She didn't hear the soft almost mechanical grunting language of the Derrits, and Scribbs wasn't sure if she was happy or worried about that. When there was nothing but just the humming, Scribbs spoke again. "What is the Doctor?"

"You speak as if I'm not like him," Martha said.

"You took offense when he said 'You humans'," Scribbs said, taking a careful step forward and feeling Martha follow her.

"You don't miss much, do you?" the younger woman asked.

"I try not to. It's my job," Scribbs responded. There was a pause before Martha took another step behind Scribbs.

"He's part of an alien race called the Time Lords. There was this war, and everyone on his planet died. He's the only one now. I travel with him because he hasn't got anyone."

"How long have you been in love with him?" Scribbs asked absently as she took a few more steps. There was a long pause.

"That doesn't matter," Martha said after a while. Then, "Tell me about your friend, the one you're gathering all your courage to save."

"Her name is Detective Inspector Kate Ashurst, but I call her Ash. She's my partner at the Middleford CID."

"Is she nice?" Martha asked. There was a small shuffling behind Scribbs as they continued to move along.

"She's got her moments like everybody else, but yeah, she's nice. A bit intense with her rules and everything," Scribbs replied as she jumped a couple of times as she felt along the wall. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, since they were on an alien ship, but she hoped to find an indent of a door somewhere.

"Rules? Like what?"

"If I went into them all, we'd never get off of this Derrit ship. I'll just say that if a situation arises, Ash has a rule about it."

"Even alien invasions?"

"I'm sure her already existing rules on hospitality and etiquette during inquiries would apply as well to alien invasions," Scribbs said absently.

"Do you know all of her rules?" Martha asked, sounding very amused by the conversation.

"Unless she's made up a new one, which she tends to do at least twice a week, then yeah. I mean, she repeats them enough. I think they're pretty funny, but some of those ridiculous rules actually mean a lot to her, so it helps to know which rules to mock and which ones to leave alone.

After a silence, Martha asked, "Do you love her?"

"Of course." The answer was quick.

"I meant... do you really love her? The way that I- I..."

"So you do love him," Scribbs said playfully.

"Well... Like I said, it doesn't matter." There was a hint of bitterness in Martha's voice, and it made Scribbs which she could see her current companion's face. When Scribbs remained silent, Martha asked, "So, do you?"

"Yeah," Scribbs replied softly.

"Does she know?"

"I don't- I mean, sometimes I think she does, but it's not like I drop any hints or anything." Scribbs was sure that was a lie, as Ash was a great detective and knew Scribbs well enough to know her moods and such. Ash had to know something, but never said or did anything about it, which meant that Ash didn't feel the same.

"But you're chasing after lazy Derrits to get to her."

"Yeah, hitching a ride in an alien cargo hold. Very heroic."

"Probably not," Martha agreed, "but if I wasn't in here with you or the Doctor, the darkness would have driven me mad in less than ten minutes."

"That's the truth," Scribbs said. She nodded as she spoke, too late in realizing that the other woman wouldn't see her. The hand on her back left momentarily, and Scribbs heard a small rustling, and then she felt Martha pat her back for the spot her hand had been in before. "Where are you, door?" Scribbs asked out loud.

"This cargo hold is a lot bigger than I thought," Martha said in a way that agreed with Scribbs.

"Either that, or we're not moving as far as we think we are because it is so dark in here and we're being careful," Scribbs said. Just after she said that, she came across the crease in the walls she was looking for, the indent that told her there was a door there. "Here Martha," she said.

"Yes," the dark woman hissed in response. A moment later the strange buzzing from the sonic screwdriver was heard, as Scribbs squinted at the faint light it emitted. A moment later, there was a click and the door opened slightly. Martha felt around, but it was Scribbs who found a handle and opened the door just a crack. There was a strange light that was very feint, just enough for them to see anything, but still dark enough that it didn't hurt their eyes when they saw it.

"This is like going through the bat houses in the zoo," Scribbs whispered.

"Scribbs!" Martha said urgently, pulling the DS back inside.

"What?" Scribbs asked, looking back at Martha.

"Look!" Martha pointed, and Scribbs' eyes followed where the younger woman's finger directed her to look. Along the walls, Scribbs saw what made Martha pull at her. The blonde saw black balls behind glass, speckled with a midnight blue color on them. "Eggs!"

"But the Derrits are hedgehog creatures, and hedgehogs are mammals."

"They're aliens, Scribbs. Get over it," Martha replied.

"This is why it is so warm in here, but it was cooler out there," Scribbs said, opening the door a little more.

"I guess so." Martha agreed. With that, Martha peeked out the door and listened. There was silence in the hallway, and the two women wondered what they would be walking into.

"I reckon it'll only be a matter of time before one of the Derrits came to check on the eggs," Scribbs said. She too looked out into the hallway and saw that there was another door across from them. She listened a little more closely. "Hey, I think the other prisoners are there." Scribbs felt a little more hope that they were on the right track. She was about to leave the room when she felt Martha grab hold of her again.

"Shouldn't we wait for the Doctor?" Martha asked.

"I don't know, should we?" Scribbs replied, looking back at her temporary companion to see what she thought.

"I..." Martha seemed a little unsure. Scribbs could tell she had every confidence in the Doctor, and Scribbs had seen enough to know that the Doctor would help a lot, but she wasn't the 'waiting around for a man to save her' type of woman.

"If you want to wait in the cargo hold for him, I understand. You'll be safe there, but I need to find Ash and make sure she's okay."

"There's no bloody way I'm staying in the absolute darkness by myself," Martha said, putting her hand back on Scribbs' shoulder. The DS chuckled softly at this, and then slowly left the room, her back to the wall, and moved a long the wall slowly until Martha was beside her again. The dark woman closed the door behind her as Scribbs looked around.

"I think all of these doors here lead to cargo holds," Scribbs said, pointing to the doors mentioned. "There are markings next them that are pretty much the same except for the last part, and I think that means that they are just numbered rooms."

"I think you're right," Martha said, then, "Come on. We should hurry before a Derrit comes to check."

"And I really don't want to face a Derrit guard who recognizes me," Scribbs agreed. The two women crossed the hall in two steps, and Martha raised the sonic screwdriver to the door while Scribbs looked around for the way to open it. All she saw was the small light above the door. After Martha used the sonic screwdriver, the door opened. There were gasps and a small squeak from one of the people near the front of the room, and Scribbs shushed them.

"Who are you?" one of the women asked in a small voice. Scribbs bent down to inspect the chains that held her there.

"My name is Emma Scribbins-"

"Scribbs?" a male voice asked, and it sounded familiar. He wasn't too far away, and Scribbs stood up again and leaned to the side a bit to try and find the source.

"Boss?"

"Yes. Er- How did you get here?"

"It is a long story. Is Ash with you?"

"Kate? No. I haven't seen her since you two left the station."

"Then she must be in one of the other cargo holds."

"I'll-"

The sound of grunting cut off what Martha was about to say, and the hand on Scribbs' shoulder suddenly left. There was a grunt and a clatter, and Scribbs turned just in time to see Martha bring a hand to the back of her head. The dark woman winced.

"Martha!" Scribbs called just before she ducked to avoid also being hit. She ducked again, but the Derrit kicked her, forcing her to the ground. She started to get up when she felt the laser type gun to her head. The grunting was angry, and Scribbs stilled. She saw Martha in the corner of her eye, and then noticed that the sonic screwdriver was only half a foot away. There was the sound of more grunting, and when the Derrit turned to look at the others that where arriving- a good six or seven more, Scribbs reached for it, grasping it, and hiding it in her hand. The Derrit with the gun to Scribbs' head grunted at her, and she hoped it meant to stand up. She looked cautiously at Martha before she felt her arm being squeezed. Scribbs stood up, and she felt herself being dragged with the Derrits. Another glance showed that Martha was also going with them, wherever it was they were going.

Scribbs noticed as they walked, that the Derrits didn't have the goggles on them anymore. This made her think, and as she thought, she got an idea. Scribbs looked back at Martha to somehow tell her temporary companion that things were okay, when one of the Derrits pushed her roughly towards what seemed to be a lift. All of the Derrits as well as Martha and Scribbs crammed into the lift, and after a short ascension, were pushed back out of it. The new area of the Derrit ship had a color of lighting, more of a brown color, really. Scribbs slowly put her hand in her pocket to make sure the sonic screwdriver was safe. She still didn't know what exactly it did, but she was sure that she was going to need it later.

The Derrits led them to what looked to be where the controls to the ship were, as well as another large Derrit with maroon markings on its underbelly. There were grunts, and Scribbs assumed it was the guard telling the captain that they found intruders. The large Derrit looked at Scribbs, and she knew then that he recognized her, as it was his team that tried to scan her and Ash. The large Derrit looked at Scribbs, and if Scribbs got her 'Derrittian' correct, he was asking her how she got o the ship.

"Er- I don't understand you," Scribbs said. When he advanced towards her, she reached into her pocket for the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at him. The large Derrit stared at it before Scribbs pressed the button that seemed to turn it on. The buzzing started, and then the lights around them brightened. The Derrits all around them screeched and tried to cover their eyes. The large Derrit waved his arms and stepped back. Scribbs walked to Martha, pointing the sonic screwdriver at the Derrits as she moved. The Derrits moved away from Martha as if she burst into flames, and Scribbs took the dark woman's arm. "I don't know how to tell them to turn the ship around," Scribbs said. She looked at the controls and hurried to it when she saw a screen with what looked to be Earth and another planet. It showed a ship moving between the two, and she knew that meant that it was logging the path to the new planet. She saw that the ship barely left Earth, and though the ship had been in space for almost twenty minutes at this point, Scribbs guessed they had hours yet to get to the other planet. The DS didn't want to know what would've happened to the 'passengers' as they went through the stars in all that time. Scribbs started to touch the controls, desperate to turn the ship around. The large Derrit growled at her and took her arm when she was about to pull one of the levers. She held up the sonic screwdriver and it let her go immediately in order to cover his eyes.

"Scribbs, I think that lever would cut off life support or something. Be careful," Martha said.

"The dark Human is correct," the Derrit said, which caused Scribbs to turn to him.

"What did you just say?"

"You understand me?" the Derrit asked.

"Yeah, you understand me?" Scribbs asked.

"I do."

"If we can suddenly understand each other, then that means the Doctor is here with the TARDIS," Martha said, moving a little closer to Scribbs.

"Have I ever told you that you are one smart bird, Martha?" a new voice said, though both Martha and Scribbs knew it was the Doctor.

"Not for a few minutes, and never in space," Martha replied easily. She went to the man and hugged him. "Glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," the Doctor said, reaching his hand out towards Scribbs, who slowly lowered the sonic screwdriver into it. "Thank you." He turned towards the lead Derrit, who seemed, if possible, more afraid of the Doctor than he ever was of Scribbs. It made sense, since he knew how to use the sonic screwdriver and Scribbs hadn't a clue. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Yes," the lead Derrit said, "Doctor."

"So," the Doctor said slowly, clicking the base of the sonic screwdriver and then putting it away, "if you know who I am, then you had to know that I am- for a reason still unknown to me- particularly fond of Earth and have appointed myself as its protector. So why, then, would you dare to try a mass kidnapping, knowing that I would be there?" He lowered his head and looked at the floor, then after a few seconds, he looked back up at the lead Derrit and continued, "Unless of course, you did know, and you wanted my attention. So... Now that you have my attention, what do you want?"

"Excuse me Doctor, but I think there is something a little... I don't know, not right about that theory," Martha said carefully.

"You think so?" the Doctor asked, looking at the dark woman. He seemed to consider this, and then said thoughtfully, almost pouting, "I thought it was brilliant."

"Well, I know so many being across the galaxy love and hate you, but I don't think that is the only reason they did what they did. When these Derrits did the scans, they were looking for a specific type of people. When we saw the people in the other cargo hold, the people I saw were larger, and Scribbs knew one of them."

"A lot of the people I recognized because they were from the CID," Scribbs added.

"People from the CID, large people..." the Doctor said, looking at the large Derrit with the coloring on the underbelly.

"And there were eggs in the cargo hold we were in," Scribbs said.

"Derrit eggs?" the Doctor asked.

"No, chicken. The Derrits thought they might make us all an omelet," Scribbs replied sarcastically.

The Doctor looked at Scribbs and grinned. "Listen to you, Cheeky," he said, "but that does make some sense now."

"We are the last," the lead Derrit said.

"The last? Here on this ship?" When the Derrit nodded, the Doctor said, "The last I knew, I was helping you in the Ferren Sector. What happened?"

"A species called the Elks came. We went away looking for another planet. We went too far, and got lost. When we made it home, everyone was killed. Slaughtered, our homes destroyed. The Elks mistook our eggs for rocks, and spared them. Being a ship of males, our only females were killed."

"So you needed nannies for the Derrit eggs when they hatched." the Doctor guessed.

"We would have been outnumbered once the eggs hatched. There would have been hundreds of young for every one Derrit male on this ship-"

"You robbed Earth children of their parents!" the Doctor yelled. He scowled. "The adults of their mates! I won't stand for that!" There was the slightest of silences, and the man continued after a moment, "I sympathize with you- I really do, but this just means that you'll have to learn to be better fathers."

"How are we to care for them all? To protect them?"

"I've helped you before, and I'll help you again," the Doctor said simply, as if it was the easiest thing in the world, and as far as Scribbs knew, it was.

"We couldn't just wait for you, Doctor. The eggs will hatch within a fortnight, and we have yet to make a proper nest for them."

"Take these Humans back to their home, and I'll help you," the Doctor repeated.

"And unchain them," Scribbs added. The Doctor put his hand up to Scribbs.

"No, don't do that. I'll take care of this," he said without looking at the blonde. "But she's right. You need to let them go."

There was another silence before the lead Derrit looked to those surrounding Scribbs and Martha. "Let them go. Unchain then rest. We're going back."

The Doctor sighed as the Derrits hurried to fulfill their leader's commands. "Well, that was easy," he said, almost disappointedly.

"What's the matter, not enough action for you?" Martha asked.

"Not enough running. I was hoping for at least a little bit of running."

"You know, there are adventures that don't involve running," Martha said with a smile.

"Not the good ones," the man replied, but he smiled back at his companion.

Scribbs watched their interaction with a smile of her own, seeing how they spoke to each other with all of their inside jokes between them just as they stood there with their secret smiles. She missed Ash. She missed her a lot, and all she could think about was getting down to the lower levels to see her again. She walked a couple of steps away from the duo when she heard her name. She looked back at the Doctor. "I'm curious. I want to meet your friend." And with that, the three of them went back to the lift, and descended. When the door opened, there were people slowly walking out into the hallways, and some were panicking, even though the Derrits were telling them that they were okay.

As the ship was felt changing course, Scribbs squinted in the low lighting as she tried to find Ash in the few dozen people that were walking around, talking, and trying to find people they knew so that they didn't feel alone and scared anymore. The Doctor led the way, and Scribbs went on her tip toes every so often to look over his shoulder. Finally, she saw Ash standing next to Sullivan, who seemed to be looking for someone as well.

"Scribbs!" Ash said, and took a few steps towards her. The blonde looked at Ash and sighed with relief. The two women stood before each other for the slightest moment before each took a step forward and held each other. "You're here," Ash said.

"I told you I'd come get you," Scribbs replied, trying not to sound insulted.

"I never doubt that you'd try, but I didn't see how you could," the brunette said as she stepped away. In the low lighting, Scribbs could see that her partner meant this, and she nodded.

"I understand," Scribbs said. There was a slight cough, and Scribbs shook a little at it, having forgotten that the Doctor, Martha and Sullivan were even there. "Ah. Ash, Boss, this is Martha and the Doctor. They helped me get on the Derrit ship."

"Derrit?" Ash asked at the same time Sullivan asked, "Doctor?"

"Long story," Scribbs said in response to both of her superiors.

A long while later, the Derrit ship reached Earth soil in just about the exact spot it had disappeared from. Everyone on the ship left it as if it were on fire, and really, no one could blame them. What surprised Scribbs was the fact that she had been able to calmly walk off of the ship herself. Ash had already exited, but Scribbs stayed behind to look for her new friends to thank them for the wild time. When she did touch the soil, though, she heard a strange Darth Vader sort of sound before the similar blue box appeared next to Scribbs. The door opened and sure enough, the ones she had searched for in the Derrit ship were there. "We were about to leave, but Martha wanted to say goodbye to you first," the Doctor told her as a way to explain their presence, even though the blonde had already figured as much.

"Yeah, as if you weren't just in there saying 'What an interesting copper, that Detective Sergeant Scribbs'," Martha retorted. She bounced out of the Tardis and swung her arms around Scribbs' neck. "I'm glad I wasn't in the absolute dark alone. But it was fun, yeah?"

"Yeah, it was, but I don't plan on doing that again in a hurry. If you're off with him to help out the Derrits, I imagine you might have to be," Scribbs replied.

"Nah, not with me, she won't," the Doctor said easily as the two women parted. There was a wave, and Martha went towards the Tardis, lingering just outside the door as if to wait for the Doctor to say his own goodbyes. The Doctor stood before the blonde and seemed to inspect her for a second. "So... Thank you for taking care of Martha for me."

"I told you I would," Scribbs replied.

"Despite what I said before, about you annoying me... I think you'd be great fun to have along. What do you say? Want to see a few things you'll never experience here on Earth?"

Scribbs raised her eyebrows at this. "You know, just one or two places, have you home by dawn at the latest," the Doctor said.

"Sounds promising, but... after saving the Earth from aliens, I want to stick around a bit to appreciate just what we may have lost today," Scribbs said, her gaze going to her partner, who was in the main field of Britannia Park helping people who hadn't been chosen in the scans. Helping children find parents and to administer first aid to those hurt when they'd been thrown around by the Derrits. She knew that the brunette was worth staying grounded for.

"Save the Earth?" the Doctor asked skeptically, "From Derrits?" He said this as if to say 'from furry three day old kittens?' "I told you, they're practically harmless."

"That's not what I'm telling my colleagues at the pub tonight," Scribbs said with a mischievous grin.

"I knew you'd be great fun," the Doctor said again. There was a small silence before he said, "Oh come 'ere," before Scribbs found herself in a fierce hug. When he backed away, he said, "Goodbye, Detective Sergeant Scribbs." He made a sort of salute to her and then joined with Martha, who went first into the Tardis. The door closed, and then a few seconds later, the blue police box faded out of sight.

When Scribbs looked away, she saw Ash walking towards her, and felt her partner's arm on hers. "What just happened?" she asked.

"My friends went to... fulfill a promise," Scribbs said. Ash looked in the direction Scribbs had been staring and then her gaze went back to the blonde. The two women stayed in silence for a while before Ash spoke up again. "You know..." she began. Scribbs looked at her and Ash looked down, afraid to meet her eyes. "I was really scared. I didn't know what to do. I mean, protocol doesn't cover this sort of thing. And then I was there, in the dark like that, and even though I was surrounded by people, some I even knew, I was so scared," she said again, "And all I could think about was... Was not being able to speak to you, to see you again. I mean, I didn't know if they were going to kill us, eat us, use us as slaves or what, but... you weren't there, and to me, that was the worst part of the whole thing."

"I told you that I'd come get you, and I meant it. I would have traveled to any country, any planet, any galaxy to get to you," Scribbs found herself saying, and though it was cheesier than anything clichéd lines she'd ever seen in a movie (and Scribbs watched way too much telly as it was), she knew in her heart that it was true.

Ash looked up at Scribbs when she heard this. "Yeah?" she asked shyly as their eyes met. Scribbs smiled and nodded to confirm her words. There was that moment. Right then, that moment that was so perfect and so right, but neither woman moved toward the other for the kiss that was meant for a moment like that. "I..." Ash started, but hesitated.

"I know," Scribbs replied softly, sticking her hands in her pockets. She felt part of her hair fall forward, and then a hand moving to push it back behind her ear again. Scribbs looked back at the brunette before her, and their eyes met again. This time, they did meet again, and this time, they did lean in towards each other in a kiss to tender that it almost made Scribbs ache. They fell apart when there was a blare in the sky. Scribbs looked around as she saw people covering their ears, and she wondered what was going on now, what else could possibly be happening now that the Derrits (and the Doctor) were gone. Had another alien race come, having followed the Derrits? The Elks, perhaps? Scribbs didn't know, but she grabbed Ash's arm, determined not to be separated this time, and as the blaring continued-

Scribbs opened her eyes and grunted at the alarm clock that was going off beside her head. She reached blindly for it and smacked it, which forced it to groan and then go silent. For the slightest second she felt badly for her poorly abused alarm clock, but then she realized that it wasn't alive. Scribbs sighed as she thought over what her mind had shown her through the night, and she rolled over on her back with a small grin on her face. In the end, she summed it all into one thought: 'Best. Dream. Ever.'


End file.
